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Good New Zealand kiwi news

Scientists in New Zealand are making huge efforts to ensure the survival of a rare bird. Aided by a homing device, conservationists attempt to track down the rowi, a critically endangered species of kiwi.

One of New Zealand’s species recovery success stories, the rowi has been brought back from a population low of fewer than 200 birds in 1998 to nearly 400 birds today.

“The doubling of the population has been thanks to a blend of old-fashioned hard work and new techniques and technology-including a ground-breaking aerial tracking system called Sky Ranger.” says Cornelia Vervoorn, community relations ranger with DOC.

Stoat problem

“If these birds had been left in the wild, there is a 95% chance that they would have been killed by stoats soon after hatching. However, as part of BNZ Operation Nest Egg, DOC rangers rescued the eggs before they hatched and took them to the West Coast Wildlife Centre in Franz Josef. They were incubated and hatched in the centre’s husbandry unit before being taken to predator-free Motuara Island in the Marlborough Sounds. Now that the chicks have grown up and are strong enough to repel stoat attacks, they are completing their journey and being released back into the Ōkārito Kiwi Sanctuary.”

Community support

Cornelia is grateful that the communities surrounding the kiwi sanctuary-Franz Josef, Ōkārito and Whataroa-are extremely supportive of the rowi recovery project, with local businesses providing funding for the recovery work and staff hours for conservation projects in the area. The Scenic Group, who own six hotels on the West Coast, have developed the Adopt-a-Rowi initiative (where guests can “adopt” a toy kiwi placed in their rooms, and the profits go towards saving the rowi).

“There’s still a long way to go,” says Michelle Impey of Kiwis for Kiwi.

“Eventually we would like to see rowi able to sustain and grow their population without any human intervention, but until we can keep rats and stoats at bay we’ll keep working with DOC and the local community to protect rowi.”